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Seven Renews Sponsorship Deal with McConneloug & Broderick for 2003

Mary McConneloug on the podium

Seven Cycles is pleased to announce that it has renewed sponsorship deals with pro racers Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick for 2003. The riders will be competing in a full schedule of mountain bike races, including the Sea Otter Classic, the NORBA National Championship Series, and several World Cup events. The sponsorship deal also signs the two racers on for the 2003 cyclocross season.

In 2002, Mary took 6th overall in the NORBA National Championship Series (NCS) and 3rd overall in the NCS Short Track Series. She also earned a place on the US National team and won the Verge New England Cyclocross Championship. Mike had his strongest season to date in 2002, finishing 26th overall in the NCS and 6th in the hotly contested Verge cyclocross series.

McConneloug and Broderick are gearing up for their most successful season so far. They will also provide valuable product testing and feedback to Seven’s R&D team.

Alaska Airlines Magazine: Singular Cycles

by Paul Clarke

Most casual bicyclists don’t spend much time thinking about the shape of the tube on their bike frame, or the type of metal used in its construction. But then, most casual riders aren’t like Mary McConneloug, a professional off-road cyclist and member of the 2002 national U.S. cycling team. For competitive riders such as McConneloug, the frame is of paramount importance, playing a vital role in the bike’s speed, control and overall performance.

When this level of quality is needed, many riders turn to Seven Cycles (617-923-7774; www.sevencycles.com), a Watertown, Massachusetts-based company that is among the largest custom bicycle-frame manufacturers in the world. Seven Cycles, which sponsors McConneloug in her competitions, has achieved this level of success by pursuing a single goal: to create the best possible bike frame for each of its customers.

To accomplish this goal, the company pays close attention to the rider’s needs when crafting a custom frame. Customers provide answers to more than 100 questions about their body measurements, riding styles and preferences, and Seven Cycles supplements these details with information gleaned from interviews.

With this data in hand, a frame is designed and built in the company’s 12,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, where machinists and welders select and custom fit titanium tubes (or steel tubes, for about 20 percent of the frames) to meet the precise specifications for each rider. Each team of machinists, welder~ and finishers works exclusively on one frame from start to finish before moving on to the next.

Seven Cycles’ frames start at around $1,500 and range up to $6,000. To build a complete bike, additional parts—such as the seat and handlebars—must be purchased independently, from other dealers. The typical cost of a bike using a Seven Cycles frame is between $2,800 and $7,400.

The frames have inspired plaudit from avid cyclists, and the company has grown rapidly. Founded in 1997 by renowned bicycle designer Rob Vandermark, Seven Cycles now employs 32 people, and markets its bikes through more than 180 authorized dealers in the United States and 14 distributors worldwide. Seven Cycles has built 8,000 frames to date, and has posted profits every year since its second year of operation.

Not surprisingly; the company has won wide acclaim for its bikes. In 2001, Outside magazine named Seven Cycles’ Odonata model the best road bike in the world, and in 1999 Mountain Bike magazine announced it had found the perfect bike at Seven Cycles.

The Company currently manufactures 22 models of frames, ranging from the Axiom, a steel road-bike frame priced at $1,495, to the Sola 007 Tandem, a titanium mountain-bike frame priced at $6,000. The price is not modest, but as many passionate cyclist can attest, the perfect ride is worth every penny.

From the Other Side of the Pond

Mike Broderick and Mary McConneloug

Team Seven racer Mary McConneloug recounts her and team mate Mike Broderick’s trip to Scotland for the second stop of the mountain bike World Cup.

Mike and I made it back safe and sound. After a 20-hour journey each way, we are recovering from an awesome week in Scotland. The weather was fair…not too much rain, or sun. Mostly overcast and green. We raced at the only ski mountain in Scotland…Ben Nevis, near Fort William. The course was really built up: lots of gravel and bridges to get around the wet terrain. It was pretty technical with steep rocky and rooty descents, tight single track and plenty of climbing.

When we got there, we were pretty tired from travel—not only from Boston to Scotland, but from the drive across the U.S. the week before. I was combating a small cold and scratchy throat.

We were lucky to have scored the perfect accommodations for the week…a small cabin 15 miles outside of Fort William. Our place was across the street from Loch Eil, with views of the surrounding mountains, situated in a beautiful garden by a stream. It was the perfect place to recover from our travels and get ready to charge the second World Cup of the season. We were glad to have our own kitchen, since Scottish cuisine is a bit of a challenge for our strict diets.

By Saturday, I was rarin’ to race. I started 59th out of 104 pro women…mid-to-back of pack. The race started on a wide fire road climb; everyone was going so hard (I saw many crashes), it was difficult to move up. I just sat in for most of the climb and then gave it some gas right before the top, moving into 17th position. The descents were pretty sketchy, but I was riding them well (many were walking). I felt really calm and strong, moving up the field slowly. I would catch another and ride in the draft until I was ready to out-climb them. On the last lap I caught Annabella Stropparo on the descent. Crissy Redden was just up ahead. We bridged up to her; we were all going for the 10th spot. Crissy attacked and I got on her wheel; we dropped Stropparo. Crissy squeaked in front for the last single track section and I couldn’t get around her. We sprinted for the line, but she already had a few feet on me. Oh, well. She fell to the ground after the race. I guess I gave her a run.

I had fun reading the race and felt my body was primed for the event. Fairfax, CA “training camp” paid off. I was stoked to finish 11th and be the first American (1.5 minutes ahead of Dunlap!).

After a quick warm down I was off to the feed zone for Mike. There were 152 pro men; Mike was called up 133, caught in the masses. I saw the dust cloud of the fastest men in the world pass at a frightening pace. The long fire road climb was not enough to space out the pack for the tight descents, causing a jam at the bottleneck. Mike and all but the front of the pack were walking slowly down the descents. He fought his way up to 87th position, enduring some of the worst cramping he has ever experienced. He was disappointed to have traveled all that way and not feel good for the race. Well, that is how racing can be; it didn’t let it stop him from enjoying Scotland.

We saw incredible views of the country. Driving out of busy Glasgow, through small winding roads bordering beautiful lochs into the expansive Highlands, really gave us a feel for the land. Sheep were meandering with their babies, sometimes in the middle of the road. (We were inspired to cook up some scrumptious lamb chops the night before our race.) The people were very friendly. Our rental car looked like something James Bond might have been ripping around in. Mike enjoyed the challenge of driving on the left side of the road (shifting with this left hand) reaching speeds unheard of in the Seven race van.

It was a whirlwind tour. Getting ready for the races pretty much consumed us, but we managed a bit more site seeing on Sunday morning. We drove out to the west coast—Port of Mallig—and had coffee. I was impressed by the variety of landscape: steep ridges and mountains with water pouring down into the valleys and small roads with barely enough room for on-coming traffic. Much of the land has been clear-cut, so the trees are pretty small and in perfect rows, but still there emitting oxygen. The coastline was gorgeous, surprising Bahamas-like coves with white sand and crystal clear blue water.

Later that day we went over to ride around the venue and watch the downhill race—of course all suited up in our Seven gear. We got lots of looks and compliments on our “nice bikes.” Brand awareness continues into the nooks and crannies of the world.

I am glad we made the trip. And I’m glad to be back home on the Vineyard. We’ll be here this week, catching up with life, continuing training, and getting ready to move into the van again. Our plan is to leave for Snowshoe, WV on Tues. June 10.

Seven Sweep

As we reported last week, the 2003 mountain bike race season is now in full swing and team Seven pro Mary McConneloug kicked it off with an outstanding 3rd place overall at the Sea Otter Classic. But while most of us here at the shop were still raving about that incredible race, Mary and her Seven teammate Mike Broderick were off to the Napa Valley Dirt Classic to join nearly 500 others who turned out for a Sunday of racing in a mountain biker’s paradise.

As if still on a high from the previous weekend’s podium finish, Mary flew through the 22-mile course wearing a smile that made the race seem more like a ride in the park. But her six-minute gap over Gina Hall in second place left no doubt that Mary was all business that day.

The pro men’s race would be no less decisive for team Seven. Mike Broderick put forth a remarkable effort, landing him on the podium’s top spot. It would be nearly two minutes before Andy Jacques Maynes and Tinker Juarez would come across the line in second and third respectively.

Read full coverage on the race plus photos.

Seven’s McConneloug Springs into 2003

Mary McConneloug on the podium at Sea Otter

On April 10-12, the Sea Otter Classic marked the official kick off of the 2003 American cycling season. Dubbed “America’s Spring Cycling Classic”, the event includes a four-stage mountain bike race featuring a time trial, a criterium, a short track race, and a 58 kilometer cross country race.

Team Seven Pro Mary McConneloug proved she was in fine form for the 2003 season opener. Exercising intelligence and patience in the first three rounds of racing, Mary saved her best stuff for the grueling final stage where she kicked it into full gear. She was riding solo in third position for much of the race, which was made even more challenging by 20mph winds. She was never quite able to bridge up to Barbara Blatter and Alison Dunlap, who were riding tandem in first and second. Cresting the final 730 meter climb and going into the last few kilometers, Mary looked over her shoulder to see the fourth place female tucked in with a group of male experts. After a valiant battle, Mary succumbed to the effort of having ridden solo for so much of the race and finished up fourth.

Mary’s outstanding efforts landed her a podium spot for the weekend with an impressive third place in the overall standings. From all of us at Seven Cycles, congratulations on a fantastic race. We’re so proud of you, Mary.